20th August, 2017

How to Be a Great Team Leader

A great team leader is essential in every business; whether you and your colleagues have accounting, IT, or banking jobs in Myanmar, an excellent individual is necessary in leading a group of professionals to reach a set of goals. Since most of the time, a leader is picked from the team itself, learning how to be a great leader is also important.

This brings up the question, what makes great team leaders? The effective ones encourage their teammates to follow their lead, and have certain qualities like honesty, positivity, and creativity. While possessing these qualities does not immediately turn a simple employee into an exceptional authoritative figure, there’s nothing wrong with practicing these values in the workplace. After all, leaders were once subordinates too and with your work and dedication, there is a chance that you will lead your own team in the future. In preparation, here are some of the qualities that you should exercise in the workplace.

Clear Communication and Negotiation Skills 

Great team leaders have impressive verbal and written communication skills. This  means that they can relay their thoughts accurately, in a way that their teammates can understand. In addition, this also means that they listen to the input of their teammates and consult them frequently through open discussions, especially when decision making is involved.

Communication helps build trust; this is important because it motivates team members to work better and harder to achieve their goals. As a leader, conversing with your teammates frequently can help eliminate disagreements and – in the event of workplace conflict – negotiate effectively to solve the discord immediately for the best interest of everyone involved.

Organized and Able to Delegate and Facilitate Properly

Organized team leaders are good at planning objectives and strategies. When it comes to application, you can expect them to put systems in place that will help their teammates meet their goals. Aside from being organized, great team leaders should also be able to delegate tasks to their subordinates properly. Delegation of work should be approached with great care in order to divide assignments equally, for a more productive team.

However, the work of outstanding leaders does not stop at assigning various jobs. Afterwards, they also have to facilitate their team members to ensure their effectiveness and the superior quality of their work. More than that, it also gives leaders an insight on their team members – their strengths and areas of improvements – and allows them to give credit where it is due. Once leaders acquire this information, they can use it for the benefit of the team.

Lead by Example

Leaders shouldn’t be cooped up in their offices; instead they should lead and work with their teammates. By doing this, leaders have the opportunity to lead their team by example. Rather than talking about the qualities they want everyone to practice, leaders can apply these qualities to encourage their employees to emulate them too. Through this, they will be better respected and their teammates will follow their lead, as well as imitate their actions. In result, the team will be influenced to do better and put their trust in their leaders.

Great leaders always show respect. If the team leaders respect their teammates, then the members of the team will also respect each other. This mutual respect will help ease the communication process in the workplace and increase productivity. In result, the team will be encouraged to share their input with their leaders, knowing that they will be respected and valued.

Confidence 

Confidence is a quality that exceptional leaders possess. They are not just confident with their own abilities; they also trust the abilities of their teammates. Confidence means that leaders are sure and secure about their ability to lead the team, as well as the members’ skills and how it can benefit the whole team. This confidence reassures their teams that they are capable of guiding everyone to reach their goals.

Don’t worry if you don’t have these qualities yet—you’ll acquire them as you gain experience at work. In the meantime, observe your team leader and follow his habits as well as his examples. It will help you learn and discover your own skills, in order to become a great team leader.